FW #2: Aqua Crush
Here is a poem I am working on after a night walking the beaches of Lake Superior this winter. It is very very rough, but I started working on it last night to see what I could put on ‘paper’. Let me know what you think!
Aqua Crush
Icecaps turn to Dust
On Lake Superior’s Shore.
The Sun savors the rush,
Of the frigid tide’s roar.
With each visible breath,
The soul begins to freeze.
Wind carrying waves,
Carbon black rocks.
Mind indulged in Aqua,
Steady Heartbeats.
An evening of winter lust
Reviving the Soul
For the first time in six years the other night, I went to the store to purchase cologne.
I had no idea where to look. Where do you find this stuff? Six years ago I was sporting some type of Adidas brand. After minutes of seething through the McGraws and Banderas of the world, I found what I was looking for.
The cheap stuff.
For me, it’s not about following the next trend, I am just trying to find my groove. The single life is ahead of me and before it grabs a hold with it’s big metal claws, dirty dishes, laziness and typical chauvinist demeanor I have to do something. Like buy a cheap bottle of cologne.
It’s part of the reviving of the soul.
It’s funny how the small things like a bottle of cologne can help us find our identity. It’s like the gum you choose in the express lane, the shoes you wear with a specific winter coat and the drink of choice you become known for. Do they have meaning? Absolutely not. But they become a part of who you are. They show off your embarrassing mechanisms, enhance your already beautiful characteristics, and maybe even plaster you as a phony.
But it is in these small things where we can really start to see who we are.
Since my life has changed completely with the ending of the most important relationship of my life, I have vowed to my soul that I would review everything in my life and the role that it plays. No matter how big, small, or irrellavent, it has been reviewed. To me, every little tendency tells a little story.
Just like that cheap cologne bottle buried behind the moguls of the industry.
At this point of my life, I am ready to take the baby steps to move on. I’m ready to do what it takes to be content with my life as a whole. Does that mean smelling good for the women of the world? Hell yes it does. Doe’s it mean doing whatever it takes to obtain what is in front of me?
Let’s just say the twenty dollars I saved is secure in my back pocket.
Sometimes in life, I am finding out that it takes more than just starting over to be happy. It takes those few minutes of confusion, hoping you pick out a cologne and not a perfume. It takes the satisfaction of knowing that you have grabbed fifteen pieces of sugarfree Solstice flavored gum. It takes the small steps in your life that build up your stamina.
This week I am thankful that it’s these little things that will get me off the ground and taking unimaginable leaps in no-time. Reviving the Soul is a process the walks the same line as life it self.
It starts with baby steps.
Here’s to what’s next in my life. I got my poker chips in front of me and the cards are dealt. I am not looking to see if it’s a pair of twos or a full house. I know though that I will be ready for the next move.
Even if it’s just upgrading to Tim McGraw’s latest fragrance.
Free Write Poem #1: Thattagirl
Thattagirl’
Spread your wings.
Peck at glass windows,
Soak in rays.
Thattagirl’
Fly with the doves.
Strut your slender,
Perch on a wire.
Soar toward salvation,
Light your soul on fire.
Thattagirl’
Whistle with the wind.
Graze skyscrapers,
Jet through grey skies.
Wings Flapping,
Heart pounding.
When you say goodbye.
Two Roads Diverged: What do you do then?
Plain and simple, life isn’t fair. It’s doesn’t take no for an answer. It doesn’t stop when the damage is done. As people, we will always come to a point in our life when two roads diverge. It might be by our own doing. It might be uncontrolled. Like they say, some things happen for a reason. We are conditioned to believe that some things are simply are out of our hands. What are we to do? Just sit on our hands and let the world around us decide in which direction to take our next step. Just because two roads have diverged in our life doesn’t mean our minds, hearts and souls must decide what’s right. 
The importance is in the fight. The strength of character is choosing your path even when you feel you don’t have the strength to decide.
Recently, my life has changed to the tune of not knowing what is coming next. We have all been there. Death, Break Ups, a change in the way you live your life. It’s inevitable that life’s path will bring us to those moments where the road will split both ways. The key isn’t in which road you travel or choose. The key is in the way you choose it.
As my favorite poet Robert Frost once said, “The only way around is through.”
When life gives us challenges that we don’t want to take on, it is imperative to not beat around the bush. We can’t hide behind what used to feel comfortable. When the two roads split in your life, you have to rail through the weeds, trees, and immovable objects to get to the next path. No matter how hard it is to sift through what life has decided to plop on top of you.
Of course the weight is going to be excruciating. The pain is going to eat at you like nothing you have ever experienced. Your hopes, your dreams and your passion to move forward are going to be crushed. The hand grenade that is life will explode in your face and the only thing you can do is duck and take cover.
But when the sun rises and a new day begins, the path of most resistance will be cleared of the worries, fears, and darkness that once lived on. It might be the path that is not taken by others. It might be one that has been trampled on by many before you. All we can do is take the road that was cleared by our heart. The one that new opportunity and a new beginning presents to us.
So while you decide which path to take at the diverged point of your life, remember that it’s not about doing what is right. It’s not about the others that have been there with you. It’s not even about taking the road less traveled by.
No matter what the road presents you, take the path that was created for and by you.
That my friends, will make all the difference.
When did Writing become so Difficult?
The last few days have been the toughest of my writing career. For Once, it’s not about being creative. It’s not about covering a sports team, or creating a world that I enjoy. It’s not profiling someone you know, that you figure you can hit dead on.
What I am writing these days is about speaking 100% truth, and not offending anyone. My twin brother and best friend is getting married in three weeks. I am the person supposed to send him off to “glory.” I am supposed to shed the light on the true person my brother is. I am having absolutely no trouble doing that. The hard part is putting those thoughts into words.
Not many have been fortunate to know who their best friend is for twenty three years. This is my chance to hit the walk-off. My chance to pull a Cal-Stanford. I want everyone to know the brother that I love and have began to cherish more and more as every day goes by.
Eventually I know that it will all click. It always does. Something will be put on paper, and that is what I will go with.
But in all honesty this is the hardest thing to write ever in my life. Tougher than final research papers. More strenuous than an article deadline.
Unlike any other writings in my short lifetime, I want this “speech” to be perfect. Hopefully I can harness it. Hopefully……
How did the Drunk Graduation Guy Get Back into my Life?
Remember that guy you sat next to at graduation? You know, the one already drooling at 8:30 A.M. because he has already made his rounds at the bar? He can’t keep his head up during the ceremony. His words a slurred just enough that his friends around him revere what he has been able to accomplish. It’s one of those times in your life when there is nothing you can do about it, but you know it will be over in a matter of hours. Unless you are friends with the designated “show up drunk on graduation guy,” it is the last time you will ever have to put up with the guy again.
Apparently, the dude who decided to get wasted before my college graduation didn’t get the memo.
Somebody is sleeping in my bed....
When I woke up this morning, it wasn’t by choice. It was by the shock of this one person I have only met once trying to fall asleep in my bedroom. At 7 A.M. this morning, I was introduced to the drunk graduation guy for the second time of my life…..
And hopefully the last.
I guess it is the price you pay when you leave your door unlocked. I rushed to bed not even thinking about that part of the nightly routine. I brushed my teeth, drank a glass of water, shut down the computers and fell asleep.
Four hours later I rose out of bed when graduation drunk guy was groping my leg. At first, I thought i was dreaming. It all seemed to be happening way too fast. Graduation drunk guy shut off the fan and got comfortable just moments later. That’s when I knew it was the real deal. When my cat nipped at his exposed toes, and he didn’t flinch, it sunk in that graduation drunk guy was here to stay. At least for the moment.
The way I look at it, it could be worse. After all, in his drunk stumble to our bedroom, he didn’t damage anything. He didn’t come to silence me in my sleep. My other roommate is fine. Many things of value could of been stolen, but they weren’t.
And most importantly, he groped my leg and not my love’s (I knew there was a reason I sleep on the opposite side of the wall!)
Not many lessons were learned on my end of this awkward, yet strange moment in my life. On my end, it’s rather simple. From now on, I will lock the door before I plop my head on the pillow. As a matter of fact, I will probably check the door numerous times. It will become the new OCD element in my life. I will never forget the shock when a random stranger entered my bedroom and when his drunk ass fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Hopefully drunk graduation guy will never forget it either. No, not in the, “awesome drunk story I can brag about category.” Hopefully he realizes how lucky he is, and how lucky he actually opened up our door, and not somebody else’s. I’m not claiming to be a life changer, a missionary, or even a generous guy.
But right now, the authorities have not been called, the blankets haven’t been torn away, and drunk graduation guy remains in my bed resting his eyes.
Maybe I am too nice. Who knows? Maybe it is just I have no idea what to do…. All I know is that the laundry need to be done tonight, and my pillows will be burned at the stake.
Because the graduation drunk guy drools, and I don’t want his sticky slobber plastered anywhere. I want today to be the last day I ever see the drunk graduation guy. And hopefully he remembers the last and only time that he groped a man’s leg and not only lived after it, but got a comfortable bed to sleep in.
(Thoughts or comments on this article? Feel free to email Joseph Dexter, or follow him on twitter!)
D4L Lions Column: A New Coach, A New Era: Can Jim Schwartz mold the Detroit Lions organization’s favorite saying into success on the football field?
Football fans in the city of Detroit have become accustomed to the tradition of searching for the holy grail. The road has been long, winding, and never ending. 
The performance in battle has been an extension of it’s leaders. A group that symbolizes the comedy group Monty Python, more than the gridiron greats before them. In 1999 Bobby Ross became the first Lions coach since Buddy Parker in the early fifties to go the the playoffs in two of his first three years with the Lions. Since Ross’ reign, the head coaches of the Lions have led their clubs to a 35-100 record.
The quest for the holy grail has turned into overthrown passes, timely missed tackles, and a dumbfounded organization. They have run into the toughest barriers. Three straight seasons (2001-2003) without a victory on the road, a sub .300 winning percentage since 2000, five different head coaches, an 0-16 season. The list goes on and on.
Now the pressure lies on the shoulders of the seventh coach of our beloved losers in the last ten years. Jimmy Schwartz, the bar is high. Your shovel better be sharp. It’s time to build a new foundation and start an new era.
Because the fans can only be behind you for so long.
For Jimmy, it’s not about preseason wins (Heck, Marinelli went undefeated last season) or showing that they can dominate lesser talent. It’s about a vast improvement on the defensive side of the ball, more consistency on offense, and being a representative of a city. A true class act, with a football IQ.
Something the Lions front office hasn’t seen at the coaching position since the great Wayne Fontes.
Jimmy Schwartz is well on his way already. From being brutally honest about where team stands, to stating he is ready for the challenge, Schwartz has shown character.
Already his defining line to the public speaks volumes to his intelligence. “It’s probably time to find a replacement for Bobby Layne” was a statement that was bold, daring, and truthful. Especially for someone that wasn’t even named to the job yet.
And once he got the job, his personality instantly started becoming a fan favorite. From praising the fans, to telling Goodell how it is on Turkey day, to making fun of his new quarterback on the first day of formal practices. His attitude is shining through his players as well. Newcomers Brandon Pettigrew, Louis Delmas, Julian Peterson, Larry Foote and Matt Stafford are ready to play football. Ready to play the game right.
It will be a long and winding road through the 2009 season. The team will have it’s low points, it’s high points, times of inconsistency, and times where the offense clicks. The defense will have us cussing at our screens, and Jimmy Schwartz will be one frustrated coach at many points in the 2009 season. It won’t be the prettiest thing in the world.
But at least Schwartz is making the long winding road toward success a bit clearer. Once that fog clears, Maybe…just maybe….. we will see the fumbling and bumbling of the past football warriors turned turned into a military unit, with more precision and timely success pushed by the unique leadership of it’s head general.
Only time will tell, but like most Lions fans, I am optimistic. Simply because, there is nowhere to go. Nowhere to go but up.
Two Athletes, One Road, and Two Different Outcomes
Two Athletes, one similar path. For Mike Vick, the road to professional football stardom is just one wildcat formation away. For Charles Rogers, the path to reinstate a professional football career has ran into a slight dead end. Vick maliciously murdered seven dogs and endangered many more of them. He was at the top of his game.
Meanwhile, Charles Rogers watched his young career unfold in front of him. First was the collarbone injury. Then there was the second break. After that a mixture of things have gone wrong. He was charged with assaulting his wife. Four touchdowns and four hundred plus yards later, the only thing Rogers knew as a career had faded away.
Both have ridden the fine line of the law. The same road straight out of the NFL. Just two years later, Vick found a first class flight into Philadelphia. Rogers continues to work around his drug habits, and into a football uniform, Six years after he burst onto the scene as a rookie out of Michigan State.
Both players have proven in their own little way, that everyone deserves a second chance. The real question is, who are the players in this league that get them. What comes down to in the National Football League, it isn’t about second chances. It isn’t about Donavon McNabb reaching out his hand to help a fellow quarterback. It is about the talent on the field, and the more reward you bring, compared to the risk you represent.
This case absolutely proves this true.
Rogers has been in and out of trouble with the law less than Adam “Pacman” Jones. He has tested positive the same amount of times than Alex Rodriguez, who is still reeling in the dough for the New York Yankees. Jones got three times more attempts than he deserved. Alex Rodriguez continues to earn over twenty five million dollars a year.
Meanwhile, Charles Rogers owes the Lions a hefty amount of his rookie contract. What is the difference in these situations? Quite simple it’s the reward George Steinbrenner and more importantly Jerry Jones got out of these situations. With Pacman, he was adding an elusive punt returner, corner back and downright play maker. Rogers is a has been that is injury prone, addiction prone, and his talent lacks.
But when we talk about giving a second chance, to me, It’s not about the Mike Vicks, Donte Stallworths or Leonard Littles of the world. They have made one mistake, that they will live for forever.
For the likes of Charles Rogers, it’s something he will live with forever. Charles Rogers is an addict.
So when you’re watching the last two preseason games for the Eagles, and they talk about how Vick is flourishing because of his second chance, think about those out their that aren’t. Mike Vick deserves his chance to play under center, only because the Eagles believe he is a key part of winning ballgames. It’s not about rehabilitating an athlete, or making him better in the community. It’s not about learning the hard way. It’s about what you can do for me now.
Currently, Charles Rogers’ 4.4 40 yard dash and continued push toward a new career isn’t enough. The Saginaw native might get a chance again someday, but it won’t come without true luck. This is someone who needs football more than football needs him.
Unfortunately winning in the game of life doesn’t translate to W’s in the National Football League. Here’s to turning your life around Charles, and hopefully getting a second chance.
The Man behind the Music is Unknown?
A man is wandering around a low income neighborhood in Jersey just to kill time. This gentleman has no driver’s license or form of identification.
The Essential has become the unkown.
He is just killing time before his next performance in a few hours. Twenty years ago he wouldn’t of been able to get away from all the fans.
Now, Bob Dylan goes unrecognized at the age of 68.
A twenty four year old police officer responded to a call on the jersey shoreline, about a man wondering in a neighborhood. That man happened to be one of the most influential rockers of all time. When asked what his name was, he responded. When asked what he was doing, he told the police officer he was on tour.
Still the young lady had no idea who he was. The worst part? Even the backup sent had no idea who Dylan was. What were the chances that three different people couldn’t identify the great Bob Dylan?
I guess the Bob Dylan most of us used to love is just ‘Blowin in the Wind.’
At gale force strength, the Dylan we love is flying away. It’s starts with this wierd predicament. Here is a guy that is one of Time magazine’s 100 most important of the century. The Rolling Stone named him the second greatest artist of all time. His life eat, drinks, and sleeps music.
Now a whole generation of twenty year olds can’t identify his poetry in motion.
As always, Bob handled the whole situation with class. He could of played the “Do you know who I am?” Card. His attitude could of back lashed at the lack of knowledge that a man named Bob Dylan would be performing that night. Dylan, maybe unlike times of old, followed the orders and instructions of the police. He returned to the hotel where he, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp were staying. He performed, like he always does. And deep down inside he either laughed hard, or had a breakdown.
Either way, put yourself in his shoes. Not very often does someone of this caliber go unknown. Maybe it’s a change of times, or a shift in generational interest.
Maybe it is just the kids theses days and their rap music (Sorry, had to write that). Maybe we should just look at the obvious. What if you were in the police officer’s shoes? Would you recognize Dylan? I have been listening to his music for over 2/3’s of my life. One thing I can’t guarantee is that I would know who he is. That is what is so sad about this encounter with Dylan. It shows us that is time to move on musically. Bob Dylan will forever for his impact on this industry.
But now the spotlight shines on a new type of artist. One that we hope strives to be the performer, writer and character that Dylan once was.
Welcome Aboard!
Greetings and Salutations! For those of you that don’t know me, this is part is easy. For others though, it is imperative to give you a proper introduction.
My name is Joseph L. Dexter (did I spell the URL right?). I love the internet, podcasting, radio, and anything to do with sports and technology. You might be familiar with my work on Motor City Bengals, Fantasy CPR, Dexter-Sports, or any other sporting venture I have been a part of. This blog/website will bring a lot of that to the table. It will also add some new folds that I am really looking forward to.
Including my love for radio.
One thing that I look to bring to the table is a new voiceover/intro section. As a poor post graduate, I thought it would be fun to start up an internet business. As of now, I don’t have the greatest experience in the world, so you can become my guinea pigs! Sounds fun right?
We will get to more of that in a bit. Until then, welcome aboard to the home of everything I do on the internet. It should be a fun ride!
